Joker's Wild
by Tusk Act IV
Summary: A common danger unites even the bitterest enemies.


**I own neither the series nor the characters.**

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Do you know the difference between the Old Maid and Old Geezer? I'm talking about the card games, of course. They're both actually pretty much the same.

You distribute the deck between any number of players then each player takes turns taking one card from any other player's hand. When a pair is made, the two cards are discarded and the last person who still has a hand by the end is the loser.

It's an odd game as you can't really say that there are winners. Rather, the game ends when there's one loser over a single winner.

Now, what's the difference between the two?

There's no significant one, really. The way the game is played as well as how the winner is determined doesn't change either: Whoever has the last card, the odd one out, still loses.

.he distinction is simply by how this last card is formed. In Old Maid, a Joker card or a card from another deck is added. In Old Geezer, it is simply determined by removing a card from the deck. That card, whatever the value or the suite, loses its pair and becomes unwanted, perhaps even where the players themselves don't realize it until the very last parts of the game.

Isn't it amazing? In Old Maid, there will always be a card who was the odd one out. The old maid will never have a pair, will always be the loser. Compare this to Old Geezer where, once you add the card taken away, there are no losers.

Such a simple differentiation yet it feels oddly profound. And so why is Old Maid more played, more popular, than its male counterpart?

I wonder if its just if people could relate to the Old Maid, to not have anyone, or don't want to lose someone like the Old Geezer would.

Now, I'm sure you're wondering why I'm telling you all of this, Fuu-san.

Really? You don't remember at all? I'm surprised. You were the one who thought me those rules after all. All those years back during our field trip. No, our elementary one, silly.

Of course, I'm sure you don't remember. You were too hung up on _that girl_ for you to remember. But then again, you've always been hung up on her even back in high school.

That is her, right? It's such a chance of fate that of course it has to be.

She's the one you're marrying today, right?

No. It's fine. You don't have to answer that. It doesn't matter. Not when we're already here at the chapel and she's waiting for you at the altar.

I do have one question, though.

If you can answer just one, make it this one. If only for everything we've been through until now.

Tell me, Fuu-san.

What would you do if I said I still loved you? That my feelings since back then still haven't changed till now? That I want to take back what that woman and her sisters stole from me?

If I asked you to come with me, would you?'

Huhuhu. That's right. That's definitely more than one. Okay then, here's my question.

Have I become the old geezer or was I always the old maid?

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I stretched my arms over my head. A yawn threatened to break free from the confines of my mouth but I block it with a lowered hand. I looked down at my finished homework, smiling that it was all finally done.

What a day.

Some days it didn't pay to be class representative. Well, all days it didn't but from all the walking around I did it should!

Three transfer students had suddenly transferred in class and, like the class rep that I am, I decided to give them the grand tour. If I didn't, I just knew the boys would have swarmed them. They all were way too pretty and…heavy set. They were all even sisters!

Talk about winning the genetic lottery. I'm sure all of their children would also have the same pretty faces and large busts.

I raised a hand to my chest to feel nothing there. I'm not even sure why. At this point, I knew I was probably flatter than some of the boys in my class.

A sigh escaped my lips.

The tour was, at least, uneventful. They were even nice enough to invite me to eat lunch with them. While I did have plans, I eventually agreed, just for the opportunity to not ruin any things possible future connections.

Girls that pretty would help when I started my campaign for School Council President.

Fuu-san, at least, didn't seem to mind.

_'Kiss Kiss Koishiteru yo~'_

Speak of the devil. I grabbed my phone resting enxt to my desk. The simple character of "Fuu" and a deadest stare of a dark-haired boy filled my phone's monitor. I swiped up to receive the call.

"Fuu-san? What's wrong."

"I've made a grave mistake, Takabeyashi."

"I told you to call me Sasaki." Even as I said our little running joke, my expression turned serious. As…goofy as Fuutarou could get sometimes, I knew that he was a mostly serious person, even if he was serious about some strange things. "What happened?"

"I.." the voice across the phone paused and I knew from experience he was thinking of the best way to say it that wouldn't sound awful. "I need to make amends with a girl I've wronged. I may have annoyed her during lunch and it turned out she's the one who I have to tutor."

I suppressed a sigh. It was just like him to do that. He's always had the worst luck. "So what did you call me for?"

"…help."

"I'm not apologizing for you."

"Not that. I need advice."

"What exactly did you do?"

"I may have called her fat."

"Die." I pretended to put away the phone even though there was no way he could see such a thing. Of course, he'd do something like that. After counting for a moment, I held the phone back up to my ear.

"Did you apologize?"

Unsurprisingly, he was still on. Of course, he was already used to this sort of thing from me. "I…didn't have the time. She left immediately."

"How do you know that?"

"We're in the same class."

"Then that makes it easier." I nod to myself. "Just suck up that pride of yours and dogeza. Don't you need that tutor job?"

"Yes."

"Right. Just kiss and make up." I paused, thinking back on my words. "N-not literally of course! You're not allowed to do that with anyone but me!"

"Of course, you're my girlfriend after all."

I felt my cheeks blush. Girlfriend. The word was still something new to me. The matter-of-fact tone of his didn't help. I couldn't help but feel it unfair how he could say something like that so casually yet couldn't help but enjoy it at the same time.

That's a woman's privilege!

I coughed into the phone's speaker.

"T-that's right, boyfriend-san. So don't just do this for Raiha, do it for me! The moment you can get paid, the more dates we can go on!"

Well, it's not like I wanted to use his hard-earned money on dates. It'd be pretty cruel on Fuutarou's part due to his family's circumstances

"That's true." Even across the phone, I could see that oddly charming smile of his. "Thanks, Takebayashi."

"It's Sasaki!"

"Sasaki, then."

The line went dead but so did my heart. Or maybe it was just beating too fast.

Even though it had been a week since we've gotten together, I still felt like I was floating on a cloud. Just him calling me by my first name had my heartbeat fluttering.

It's just a shame we were in different classes but they did say distance made the heart grow fonder.

Clapping myself on the cheeks, I shook away my drowsiness. All tire was gone and replaced with new found energy.

I reached to another subject to do: English.

Looks like it's going to be a long night.

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_'Kiss Kiss Koishiteru yo~'_

I reached over my bed to the ringing phone. My hand wanders my bedside table until it finds the ringing thing. I check the front to see a boy whose smile was so forced it was possible he hadn't smiled before. Leaning next to him was a dark haired girl who who tried to make the gesture seem natural but the blush on her face betrayed her embarassment.

Even through the fatigue, I couldn't help but smile.

"Hey."

"You sound tired." He pointed out the obvious. To be fair, he wouldn't have a month back. Perhaps his tutoring was getting him used to noticing these sorts of things. Whatever the case, he was right.

"Yeah. I am. We spent the whole day preparing those fireworks." Why my family was in charge of the show I didn't know. It was just a shame my mother had gotten sick so I had to step in. "Did you see it? What did you think?"

"It was great."

"Worth us not going to the festival together?"

Silence returned and I couldn't help but sport a tired smile. Fuutarou was just way too easy for this sort of thing. While he was normally as blunt as a sledgehammer, all this dating had at least taught him to consider his words to me at least.

"I'd like to have watched them with you."

I nodded. Right answer. "Me too. Sorry, I couldn't go."

"It's fine." There was a momentary pause. "I was able to go with Raiha."

That got a grin. If there was one person I'd admit provided the biggest threat to our relationship, it was Raiha-chan. I didn't think he'd hesitate to choose her over me and, in a way, I couldn't hate him for that. That familial love was just one of his better traits.

"Did she have fun?"

"She did...probably." Fuutarou hummed. "We also ran into the Nakano's so she played with them for a while."

"Oh." I tried to blink through the drowsiness. "How's the tutoring coming along?"

"It's...great." He was clearly lying. He was never good at it, especially to me.

"Really?"

Now, he sighed although this one wasn't as tired as I expected it to be. "Better. It's a lot better than before."

"If you say so." I wasn't exactly sure what was happening with his tutoring. He didn't really talk about it much and I wasn't too interested in my boyfriend talking about other girls. While I had been surprised he'd be tutoring five pretty girls, I also knew he needed that money.

Really, I should win an award for Understanding Girlfriend of the Year.

Besides, from what I could tell, none of them were, like, in love with him or something. I'm sure one or two even hated him with how tired he sounded about it. I did offer to at least talk with the three in my class but he said he'd figure it out as their tutor. I guessed he wanted to earn their respect himself so for now I let him be.

...Well, i also told Raiha-chan to spy on him for me. She told me she had dragged him and an itsuki girl to an arcade and Fuutarou didn't blush even once.

On one hand, he gained major boyfriend points from that. On the other, if a Nakano sister couldn't make him blush, then could I do any better?

"Sasaki?"

I was forced out of my self-depreciation by the other voice on the phone. I tried not to sound too snoopy with my next question. "Nothing. Have you made friends with them?"

"...Friends, huh? Maybe, one or two of them."

"That's good." I wanted to ask more but, already, my eyes were getting too heavy to remain open. "Night Fuu-san."

"Good night, Sasaki...let's go next year."

"...yeah." Next year. With a promise of a future date in my heart, I fell back to sleep.

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"So you're still their tutor?"

"Thankfully." Fuutarou's voice across the phone reflected just how trying the midterms exam had been for him. Well, I'm sure he aced it, more for his students really. "Their father didn't see through Nino's words."

"I should thank her then that my boyfriend still has money to go on dates with me." Nakano Nino was actually rather friendly so I was surprised when I heard she was the most difficult of the siblings for Fuutarou. "When can we by the way?"

"I…I treated those girls to parfaits." The pain in Fuutarou's voice was too real. "That Itsuki got a large one too."

"Boo! Take me out for parfaits too then."

"And how did you do in the exams?"

"Ah. Just fine. Really." I felt sweat roll down my face. I'm about above average, just barely above the average of our year. "A-anyways, congrats on keeping your job. Parfait or not, we should celebrate."

"True. You did help by distracting the guard."

"It was nothing."

I tried not to think how my boyfriend just stayed overnight at an apartment with five pretty big chested girls. Fuutarou wasn't the pervy type though so I hadn't been too concerned. Although, I was more concerned how he hadn't at least tried to put any moves on me.

Well, it's not like I made any as well besides instigating some hand holding. And that was only when I knew my palms weren't sweaty!

"Anyways, are you excited about the field trip?"

"Can I be?"

"Of course!" I reassured him. I already told him about about the funeral. As much as I wanted to go with Fuutarou and my class, I knew I needed to say goodbye to Ojii-san ack in the countryside. "Just have fun for the two of us."

"If you say so." Fuutarou's voice was unsure but I knew how excited he was. We spent a whole date going around and buying his supplies and a pack of cards.

"And when you come back, let's go on a date okay?" I smiled at the idea. "Maybe the amusement park this time."

"...Sure. I'll make sure to bring you back something." Finally, his tone lost its waver.

"What are you even going to bring me back? Some sticks?"

"Curry?"

"Just eat it yourself. It's not like that stuff will beat the kind Raiha makes."

"That's true." Even from over the phone, I sensed a smile had finally come back on her face. "Good night, Sasaki."

"Night, Fuu-san."

I placed the phone next to me and stared at the ceiling. I raised my hand over my head.

It's a shame we couldn't dance. That promise legend sounded romantic.

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"...He's late."

Much like a patient housewife, Nakano Itsuki knelt by the divider waiting for her husband, here tutor, to arrive. However, compared to his usual time he was taking a while. It was even a rare Saturday where everyone was at the apartment.

She was about to get up to either check the door or even get a snack before she heard a knock at the door Her cute face scrunched up angrily in a pout as she got up to answer it.

"Finally! What took-"

"Ah, hello."

Whatever words Itsuki was about to say stopped as the sight of her door blew away all her thoghts. While her tutor was there, he was hanging off a girl shorter than him. She had dark brown hair that reached right above her shoulder and, Itsuki would admit, a pretty face with dark chocolate eyes.

"Um, excuse me but," Itsuki turned to Fuutarou's face. His eyes were open but he was definitely snoring. "Did you come with Uesugi-kun?"

"That's right, I'll be joining today's study session." The girl grinned, her expression revealing just how long she had been waiting for this moment. "I'm Takabayashi Sasaki, Futarou's girlfriend. It's nice to finally meet you."

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**AN: This won't be too long. Just an odd brain worm I wanted to write out before anything else. I actually wrote out more but decided to save that for future chapters,if ever. No, the sisters knew nothing about her. All events continue as they did canon.**

**I know Takebayashi doesn't seem the same as the past one but you could say the same with Fuu. Let's just say some stuff happened so she's more chill now. I picture her look as Sasaki from SHnY and where I got the name. Her ringtone is a wayback reference that I'm sure few would remember.**

**This is more the prologue than anything which is why time went by so quickly. Things only really change here. I was tempted to keep her hidden till post 7Gs but realized it'd be the best time to shift things up. After this, things will be different from canon except that the bride is definitely one of the sisters. This is where it truly starts.**

**Also, blah blah don't change perspectivee blah blah. I know. I just wanted to do it for emphasis. I don't think I'll be using her perspective anymore as I know it'd be better to see this new element from the Quints' perspective.**


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